Book Review: THROUGH TO YOU

A few weeks ago, I came across Through to You by Emily Hainsworth. I had a few other must-reads to finish before I got around to it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down.

From the back cover:

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He’d give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she’s a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows her there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it’s as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between their worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he’s forced to make a choice that will change his life forever.

All that I would add here is that Cam and Viv used to be the quarterback and a cheerleader, respectively, until Cam was badly injured during a game. Viv dropped out of cheerleading in solidarity for him not being able to play anymore, and the two of them were happy letting their lives piddle on aimlessly as long as they had each other. That is, until Cam dropped his lighter in her car, and Viv bent down to pick it up.

What I liked:

Trying to figure out the mystery. Why did things go differently on the other side? How were they different? How will this experience effect Cam’s life on either side? So many questions!!

The characters and their backstories were very interesting. What made them the kind of people they are, and how would they be different if life had gone a different way? We find all that out, because alternate realities allow for some pretty cool character studies.

What I disliked:

That we didn’t get all the answers! What was the portal? Why was it there? It was a cool concept, but never fully fleshed out.

The synopsis tells you TOO MUCH. Half the book is spent with Camden trying to find out if Nina is a ghost or an interdimensional traveler, but we already know because we read it on the back. It’s as if the publishers posted Hainsworth’s query letter as the blurb.

The final word:

*Minor Spoilers*

Through to You had a ton of potential, but never fully delivered. That being said, I was haunted by the characters when I closed the last page. I wanted more. I wanted to see how Camden’s life would go further down the road. I wanted to see what happened on the other side after the portal finally closed. I wanted a full story. What I got was a blip in the life of this tragic kid with no real resolution except that he could finally go forward with his life.

For curious readability and character development, but poor overall conclusion, I give Through to You a rating of 3 shields:

Was my rating fair? Have you read the book? Will you now? Hit the comments and let me know.